How to Make the HyperSpectre Paper Airplane

Fast, long range, and equipped with landing gear, the HyperSpectre is a great choice for a quick classroom cruiser, or a bold backyard buccaneer.

This plane appears similar to the Super Spectre and Tigershark aircraft before it, which served as inspirations and benchmarks for this new plane. In addition, the Starhawk paper airplane, which was designed after the HyperSpectre was but posted here before it, took most design elements from this airplane. This plane is the first of the Spectre family to have dedicated skids, rather than just outrigger winglet skids.

TAA USAF Designation: A2-9

Step 1: Materials

Required:
1 Piece of 8.5 by 11 inch Paper
Tape
Ruler
Pencil
Scissors

Step 2: Length and Cover Folding

Begin construction by folding your paper in half along its length. Then fold one corner of your paper to the edge of the opposite side. Then open and repeat on the other side. Then pull the top half of the X onto the bottom half.

Step 3: More Cover Folding

Fold your paper up in half along its length. Then fold the corners of the side closer to the width fold down on each side. Then fold and tuck the paper in under itself. Then flatten out the diamond section of paper on top of the rest of the paper.

Step 4: Airfoil Folding

Pull the back of the ventral diamond forward to its opposite. Then, fold the airfoils up so that their rear edges touch the leading edges of the wing. Make a crease at this point and then reverse and tuck this paper under itself as shown. After the airfoils are tucked underneath themselves, pull the diamond half back and tuck it under the part it had been folded over. Then fold the paper up in half.

Step 5: Landing Gear, Wing and Winglet Folding

First, fold your landing gear down so their tips parallel the seams of the airfoil folds. Then make a mark 5/8 of an inch above the center crease of the airplane. Then fold the wing down, with its crease connecting the two marks you've made. Then repeat on the other side. After that is done, measure 3/4 of an inch in from the wingtip along the trailing edge. Then fold the wingtip up at this point with the winglet's trailing edge touching that of the wing to make the winglet. Repeat on the other side. 

Step 6: Taping and Making the Elevators

Tape the nose, tail and landing gear as shown. Then fold the wings of your airplane down in half. Measure 7/8 of an inch out from the fuselage along the trailing edge an make a mark. Then measure a further 3/4 of an inch outwards from this mark. Then make a line going half an inch toward the front originating from each of the points you just made. Then cut along these lines. Once cut, make creases at the ends of these cuts. Then unfold the wings and adjust the elevators to have a deflection of about 20 degrees.

Note: The required deflection angle may vary airframe to airframe. Therefore, adjustments may be necessary.

Step 7: Flight

Like most all of the "Spectre" family, the HyperSpectre is a fast paper airplane that is fairly simple to operate. At launch, throw the airplane at a moderately fast pace pitched down to 20 degrees downwards to up to 20 degrees upwards. Landings should be fairly gentle for the HyperSpectre, due to its landing gear. In addition, this paper airplane has provisions for flaps, slats, rudders, an internal bomb bay and a vertical fin. Enjoy!